What Happens in Mexico Stays in Mexico: La Cantina
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: After escaping their motel, Seth, Summer, Ryan and Marissa end up in a bar and after a misunderstanding, they're faced with money problems again. And their answer is exactly the same as before: a quick escape.


Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.

A/N: It's been forever since I've written another Mexico story, I know, but I've been having major computer problems. But, in order to make it up to everyone, I've planned another Mexico story after this one if you guys want to read it. So, here's another adventure that befalls our favorite teens from New Port. Review and let me know what you think.

The sky was completely cloudless, giving the hot Mexican sun full range of the powder blue sky and the four teenagers from New Port no relief from the baking rays. Seth Cohen, Summer Roberts, Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper had been walking along the dirt road for two hours after they had escaped the manager of the Mexican motel where they had failed to pay for their room.

Summer whimpered as she took another step, her feet aching inside her too tight, two inch Prada heels. "Where's the car?" She moaned. "I want the car." No one said anything; they all wanted the car.

Seth walked beside Summer and Ryan and Marissa were a little ahead, talking quietly together and generally trying to ignore Summer's half-hearted complaints.

"I'm hungry." Summer informed Seth, looking up at him with pleading brown eyes.

"I just bought you breakfast two hours ago." Seth reminded her. "Remember? You ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and threatened to poke my eye out with a fork."

Summer rolled her eyes. "That was two hours ago." She pointed out. "And I'm hungry again." Seth didn't say anything and Summer changed gears. "Will you carry me again?"

"No." Seth answered wearily. "It's too hot."

Summer frowned, not too pleased by his words and deciding to take matters into her own hands. She wrapped her arms around Seth's shoulders and tried to pull herself onto his back, forcing him to carry her. Summer's sudden weight caught Seth off guard and he stumbled backward, sending both of them crashing into the dirt.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's too hot to deal with them." He mumbled and Marissa nodded wearily. They kept walking; Seth and Summer could catch up.

"Cohen!" Summer cried but she was laughing too hard to say anything more. She giggled as she lay in the dirt with Seth still on top of her, his elbow jabbing her beneath the ribs. She wondered what people back at Harbor High would think of this new Summer: dirty and laughing with Seth Cohen. She wondered what _she _thought of it.

Seth laughed as well, untangling himself from Summer and sitting up; he looked back at her and thought she had never looked more beautiful, with her hair a mass of curls and heat induced tangles, dirt smudged cheeks and eyes sparkling.

Summer noticed him staring and said, "You're such a dork Cohen." She grinned.

Seth was about to say something in response when something caught his eye past Summer's shoulder; a large cloud of dust and dirt was moving down the road, stirred up by whatever was moving closer to them. He squinted and saw that the object behind the dust was a very rusty, very beat up car, but a car nonetheless. And a car meant a ride and a ride meant not having to walk in the heat anymore.

Seth quickly got to his feet. "Hey, there's a car." He called ahead to Ryan and Mariss. He turned back in the direction of the approaching car and helped Summer to her feet.

Marissa and Ryan headed back toward Seth and Summer; the car was slowing down and the window on the driver's side was beginning to roll downward. A young Mexican woman with sand colored skin and jet black hair grinned as she leaned out the window. "You kids need ride?" She questioned in rough English.

"Yes!" Summer cried at the same time Seth said, "_Si_," The woman motioned to the backseat of the car and Ryan opened the door, following Marissa into the backseat. Seth sat down beside Ryan, leaving Summer standing outside, glaring; there were only three seats.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" Summer questioned, seconds before she answered her own question by dropping onto Seth's lap and shutting the door. She grinned at Seth and proceeded to make herself comfortable.

The woman in the driver's seat put the car in drive and studied the kids in her rearview mirror. "I can take you only to my work." She told them. "You use phone there."

"Thanks, we really appreciate it." Marissa said and the others nodded their agreement.

The rest of the ride was driven in silence, with Summer constantly shifting around on Seth's lap. Ryan couldn't tell if Summer was trying to find a comfortable position or just trying to get a rise out of Seth, one way or another.

The dirt road slowly led to a handful of buildings and shops, nestled together like the beginnings of a town that was never finished. Cars were parked in front of the buildings, a signal that the are wasn't a ghost town after all.

The woman parked her car in front of a building that bore the faded sign _La Cantina_. Summer opened the door and all but tumbled out of the car and onto the sidewalk; Seth followed suit, steadying the dark-haired girl. Ryan helped Marissa out, ever the perfect gentleman, she thought, and together they followed the Mexican woman into _La Cantina_.

_La Cantina _was filled with people, sitting at any available place, holding private conversations beneath the pounding music of the radio and throwing back shots in the dim, smoky light. Only Seth seemed interested in the buzzing scene in the bar, staring at the burly men with girls in thongs on their laps and money in their pockets; the other three had seen it all before and followed the woman through the crowd without a second glance, threading their way around the drunk and rowdy.

"Phone back there." The woman shouted over the sounds in the room, gesturing toward the back of the bar. "Have drink there." She pointed to the bar itself. She left them then, going behind the bar to start her shift.

Ryan turned to look at the girls and Seth. "All right, Seth and I will call the tow truck company and see where our car is and you two stay right here." He and Seth headed in the direction of the phone.

Summer sighed, bored. "I want a drink." She said, looking wistfully at the bar. She'd never actually had much alcohol in her life, but that didn't stop her from wanting a drink in Mexico; it was just what you did when you went across the border.

Marissa realized she could use one herself. "We don't have any money." She reminded, dejectedly.

Summer grabbed Marissa's hand and tugged her toward the grimy bar. "Maybe some lonely men would be happy to buy us a drink or two." She grinned and Marissa smiled back. After everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, she was more then willing to smile pretty in return for a shot.

Summer and Marissa managed to wrestle their way onto two bar stools, wedged in with several muscular, sweaty Mexican men. However, none of the men felt the need to spend extra money buying two rich girls a beer. Summer sighed, staring down at the surface of the bar and wishing she hadn't when she realized she couldn't identify anything that covered the wood. Marissa spun around on her rusty bar stool, kicking off with her feet and watching Ryan across the room; Seth was holding the phonebook and Ryan was yelling something into the receiver, not looking too pleased.

The bar tended walked up to where the girls sat and started to jabber away in Spanish. Marissa spun her chair around so she could face him. "We don't have any money." She said glumly, hoping he understood her words.

Summer nodded in agreement but the bar tender said something else, raising an eyebrow and when the girls made no reply, he pulled out two shot glasses and slid them in their direction.

"What did he say?" Marissa questioned as the glasses were filled to the brim with what she hoped was vodka.

Summer shrugged. "Free drinks?" She guessed, grinning as she picked up her glass. Marissa did likewise. "To us." She raised her glass.

"To Mexico." Marissa seconded. Their glasses clinked together and both girls tossed back their shots quickly.

Summer swallowed and wrinkled her nose; it was strong and sour, but nothing she couldn't handle. The bartender was more then willing to refill their glasses. Summer smiled. "I love Mexico."

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It took ten minutes for Ryan to figure out that the Cohen SUV was waiting for them in Tijuana. It took ten minutes for Summer and Marissa to run up an impressive bar tab. It took ten minutes for Summer to get fall down drunk. And it took less then ten minutes for Ryan to figure out that they weren't going to be able to leave _La Cantina _as easily as they would have hoped.

When Seth and Ryan managed to push their way through the crowd and rejoin the girls at the bar Summer had a goofy grin on her face and Seth knew right away that she had had her fair share of drinks. "Cohen!" She trilled happily, turning around on her stool and slipping off, crashing to the floor.

"If only she was that happy to see me when she was sober." Seth muttered before kneeling down to help Summer to her feet.

Ryan looked at Marissa, who didn't look the least bit drunk despite the fact that she was currently tossing back another shot. "Where'd you get the drinks?" He questioned.

Marissa looked down at Summer. "The bartender's been serving us." She replied. "I don't think I've ever seen Summer smashed." She grinned.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to pay for them?"

Summer managed to get to her feet with Seth's aid. "They're free. Free drinks." She chimed in happily, climbing onto her stool again, wobbling. She slammed her palm on the surface of the bar. "I'll have another." She called to the bartender.

Seth pulled her back off the stool. "I think you've had enough." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her from falling over. "Let's get out of here."

Before Ryan and Marissa could agree, the bartender headed over to them and demanded, "Pay, money."

_Now he speaks English_, Marissa thought, rolling her eyes. "You said they were free."

The man shook his head and spoke in rapid Spanish, which sent Summer into a fit of laughter. Seth sighed. "He says he didn't say they were free." He translated. "He said you had a tab to pay at the end."

"That's just great." Ryan grumbled. "We have no money." He told the bartender.

"No money." The man repeated, narrowing his eyes. He started yelling in Spanish and gesturing behind him, toward a large man with a permanent scowl on his face.

Summer noticed the man and grinned. "He's just like the manager of the motel." She said, hiccupping as she tried to speak.

"And I have a feeling we're going to get the same results." Ryan muttered as the man headed toward the bar tender, flexing his arm muscles.

The bartender turned toward the evil cousin of the Mexican motel manager. "These kids no pay." He explained. "You handle." The other man nodded.

Ryan grabbed Marissa's hand and pulled her off her bar stool. "I think we'd better go." He muttered and Seth nodded in agreement. The other man started around the other side of the bar. "Now."

With Ryan in the led, they made a dash for the door, pushing their way roughly through the crowd, ignoring the bartender's angry shouting. Summer giggled and slumped in Seth's arms, dragging her feet unintentionally. "This is just great." Seth mumbled, hauling her up, dragging her along.

Ryan threw the doors open and stumbled out, still pulling Marissa behind him. Seth followed after, kicking the door closed just as the Mexican bouncer slammed into them. Marissa laughed, drunk enough to find the whole ordeal amusing and exhilarating as she ran after Ryan, holding onto his hand tightly. Seth glanced over his shoulder and saw the large Mexican man standing by the doors of _La Cantina_, trying to decide if it was worth it to chase them down.

Despite the fact that the man was no longer chasing them, Ryan, Seth, and Marissa didn't stop running until they were out of sight of the bar. Summer had managed to regain her footing and stumbled along, leaning against Seth.

"That was fun." Marissa said with a grin when they finally stopped running, the small Mexican town behind them. Ryan looked at her with a raised eyebrow but was breathing too heavy to say anything.

Seth looked over at Summer, who was looking a little pale and asked, "Are you all right?" She groaned. "How much did you drink?"

"Too much." She whimpered, holding onto her head and sighing. "I feel sick." She stopped walking and inhaled deeply.

Marissa and Ryan stopped walking and turned around. "You okay, Sum?" Marissa questioned. "Maybe you should have stopped at twenty shots." Seth's eyes grew wide.

"Twenty?" Ryan repeated and Marissa nodded. "How come you're not drunk?"

Marissa shrugged. "I guess I can hold my liquor better." She answered and looked at her friend with a sympathetic look.

Summer groaned and sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and burying her face in her hands. "I hate Mexico." She murmured.

Seth knelt down beside her. "You think you can walk?" He questioned. "We've got to get to Tijuana." He reminded her.

Summer let Seth help her to her feet and stumbled along, her face pale, head aching. They started down the dirt road again, Marissa threading her fingers in between Ryan's and acting like she didn't realize what she was doing.

"I'm going be sick." Summer mumbled, stopping seconds before throwing up beside her feet. Seth grimaced but managed to pull her sweaty hair away from her face before she threw up again.

"It's okay Summer." He muttered weakly, averting his eyes and patting her lightly on the shoulder. "You're okay."

Summer sniffed, wiping away the tears that had trickled down her cheeks and looked up at him. "Thanks Cohen." She mumbled, looking even worse now then she had before.

Seth offered her a weak smile and wiped her tears away; Summer looked so different, so weak and fragile, so unlike the girl he had known for most of his life. This was the real Summer, he knew, the one that didn't put on an act and he loved this Summer best of all. "No problem." He assured her. "I'll carry you now, if you want." He offered, figuring Summer wasn't going to get too far walking.

"I'd like that." Summer said with a slight smile, climbing onto Seth's back like she had the previous afternoon, holding on weakly. Seth balanced her weight and easily caught up with Ryan and Marissa.

They walked in silence for a little while, no one having the energy to complain about the heat or the miles. Summer had passed out, her head resting on Seth's shoulder, sweaty hair brushing against his cheeks. Nameless towns were passed without a stop or a comment, but mostly they walked on the same dirt road, passing nothing but more dirt and the occasional tumbleweed.

Finally, Marissa broke the silence. "I can't wait 'til we get to Tijuana." She said with a mischievous smile. "Something exciting always happens down there."

Ryan looked surprised. "Hasn't this been enough of an adventure for you all ready?"

"I think Summer's had enough adventure." Seth put in, looking at the sleeping girl on his shoulders.

Marissa sighed but there was a smile on her face. "C'mon, our car wrecking, escaping a crazy Mexican motel manager, riding the back of a chicken truck, escaping yet another crazy Mexican and Summer throwing up all over her feet is hardly a story to tell the others." Her grin grew wider.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You New Port girls are so hard to please."


End file.
